Teenagers Ceased To 'Dance' At Dance Functions

Mosh pits, crowds of people, and ‘upbeat’ music has slowly made people lose track of what ‘dancing’ at a Homecoming Dance looks like. In comparison to previous generations, there is a decline in dancing at school dances. 

Rowland Hall states, “In the past, before the internet, high numbers of people would attend school dances because connecting with friends in person was the only way to do so. Also, couples and slow dancing were emphasized in the past, whereas modern dances focus on going with friends and dancing in groups.” 

Why does this matter? For one, it is a prime example of social media dividing us as a society. Another thing is it shows how much we as students care about other people's perception of us. Lastly, the lack of dancing shows how much music has changed and one of the biggest contributions to why dances don’t hit the way they used to. 

Nowadays, dance moves are not as consistent as they used to be. There are no specific names or moves trending. After interviewing nine students from John F. Kennedy High school on trending dances from our generation, the majority of them answered, “I don’t know.” However, few answers had movements involved. Soundharya Kumaresan (10), mentioned the “Frat Flick” which is a move where you bob your head and move your index finger to a song. Another answer was people just jumping up and down. 

Alexa Garcia Gaona (12) stated, “There’s always a mosh pit, people jumping, people sweating, you can feel it within a three inch radius.” 

Some staff said mosh pits were relevant in their days, others said it was not. If this was the case, people always knew how to have fun with mosh pits and dancing still being relevant. The rising popularity of mosh pits does not cancel out the decline of dancing.

When comparing what the students and the teachers had to say about why teenagers don’t  dance at homecoming dances nowadays, it all comes down to two main things; the music and self-esteem. 

Mr. Chen, a math teacher, said, “Some kids are shy and don’t want to perform in front of people… especially for kids that have lower self-esteem…” 

Mr. Vo, math teacher, suggested, “Probably since Covid happened, people are awkward now or forgot how to dance during the times of not being able to socialize.”

Or, it could be something as simple as our generation not being interested in these things. 

Mr. Yung, a math teacher, brought up that he read an article on how Generation Z are more conservative. “When I look at generational articles, I know Gen Z doesn’t like to drink alcohol or party as much, not as much as millenials,” Yung said. 

While there were many complaints about the music, I asked people if music was one of the reasons why teenagers are not having as much fun during homecoming dances.

“I’ve heard from kids that the DJs here have not been strong. You have to pick music that is danceable too. It’s got to have a rhythm to it for kids to feel comfortable that they can hit a beat in my opinion,” Ms. Anderson, an English teacher, stated. 

“A lot of artists nowadays sample other artists. I don't think it’s creative, there’s not many artists that are writers themselves. So I think we had a deeper connection to the music [in my day] than now. Now, it’s just about a good beat and trending on social media making it a temporary thing,” Cobb added. 

Ryan Vang (11) said, "This generation thinks everything is cringy especially with social media and it’s so much easier to hide behind the screen and say something mean.” 

Bilva Pradeep (11), added, “It’s also because of embarrassment, they don’t want to do anything that might come off as weird to other people since other people aren’t doing it they feel like they don’t need to do it.”  Students often recall a repetitive nature to the song choices. Vang mentioned in every dance she has been to the song, “Apple Bottom Jeans” has been played. The song, “Carnival” by Kanye West was played three times in one homecoming dance. 

The teen interviewees agreed to playing more cultural music whilst also mentioning how DJs have been playing songs from other cultures such as South Asian and Hispanic music. It seems as though not playing music from other cultures is not the problem. 

Mr. Lydon, English teacher, added an important point, “Everybody wants to hear what’s playing on Spotify whereas DJs back then would expose you to new music.” 

Since we live in a time where music is accessible from the tip of our hands, we are exposed to new music constantly which makes DJs think we have a specific taste. 

After asking students what would make kids dance more, half of them said DJs should be playing trending music while others say the music should be upbeat and danceable; and a small percentage suggested “awards” where people can get something out of just dancing. 

“DJs are supposed to get you onto the floor. They’re supposed to get everyone excited,” Ms. Rodriguez, a librarian, claimed her generation expressed themselves and celebrated life through dance, leading to her strong feelings about dancing losing its charms.

Photo by Monica Real | One portion of Homecoming enable students to dance.